Nigeria to discuss with Cameroon on Bakassi – Mark

Senate President, Senator David Mark, on Tuesday declared that Nigeria will initiate discussion with Cameroon on the vexed issue of Bakassi.

Mark stated this in a chat with journalists at the 127th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Quebec, Canada.

The conference has the theme: “Citizenship, identity, linguistic and cultural diversity in a globalised world.”

The Senate President said that Nigerian delegation would discuss with their Cameroonian counterparts at the conference to iron out knotty issues so as to create a forum for broader dialogue on the Bakassi issue.

He said the discussion would focus on whether to revisit the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision on Bakassi or to ensure that the rights of Nigerians who live in the oil rich peninsular are fully protected.

The Senate President noted that the National Assembly recognised that there is a subsisting judicial decision on Bakassi.

He insisted that once there is a judicial decision on any matter “you must be careful.”

The judicial decision hanging over Bakassi, he said, made it imperative for Nigerian delegation at the IPU to open dialogue with their Cameroonian counterparts at the conference on the future of Bakassi.

He said, “Bakassi is a different story entirely. For Bakassi, there is a judicial decision and once there is a judicial decision you must be careful.

“Revisiting the judicial decision on Bakassi whether it will bring any more profit or whether we should ensure that Nigerians who are in Bakassi have their human rights fully protected and that they are not maltreated in any way by Cameroonians is one of the issues we will sit down and discuss with Cameroonian parliamentarians who are here too.”

In his address at the conference, Mark told the Union of the need for parliaments world over to protect and guarantee minority interests.

“The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not just in total support of raising the stakes in management of diversities in a globalised world, we are already taking steps to ensure that every minority interest within the Nigerian State is well protected.

“We are working to remove all obstacles that hinder unity and harmonious co-existence,” the Senate president said.

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Posted: at 24-10-2012 11:36 AM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Mtcheeeeew! Medicine after death. Crippled leaders, senate my foot. To hell with all of u and ur dead promises. The dead line for appeal have elapsed. So, mark should stop deceiving himself

Posted: at 24-10-2012 12:30 PM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac

there is something sinister abt d whole thin in d 1st place

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Posted: at 30-10-2012 04:05 PM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac